Unconditional Love
by Wonder777
Summary: A new take on the ending of the "Cult Fiction" episode. What if Andrew was there when Jonathan had his accident and has to help a lost Shawn Hunter find his way, decide who really loves him. The Center or those closest to him, most of all God? Yes, the "speech" Shawn gives is in here...


_**Unconditional Love**_

 **Inspired by the scene in the "Cult Fiction" episode of Boy Meets World where Shawn is in the hospital room with Jonathan after his motorcycle accident. What if Andrew was there, at the accident and at the hospital? Here is how I would have imagined it... Oh, don't worry, I did a reworked version of the "Don't Blow Me Off" speech Shawn makes based off the one in the episode, so that's here too. Only worded differently for the purposes of this story.**

Jonathan Turner had just been cut off by a truck while riding his motorcycle and in a split second, hit a slick spot in the street. That sent him flying at least fifteen feet, landing on his left side. He felt bones break and pain shooting throughout his body lying there.

The blonde haired man stood on the corner, horrified at watching the accident. He had been called to this spot and immediately came to the teacher's side. People were starting to gather around, calling the ambulance. What made it worse was that the truck just kept going like nothing was wrong.

"Jonathan," he says gently, "My name is Andrew. And I will be your angel at this time." Andrew had his trademark off white suit and white shirt. "Don't worry, only you can see me for now. Blink your eyes if you can understand me."

Jonathan had managed to open his eyes to see the angel kneeling beside him. It was becoming hard for him to focus and despite what he just heard, he blinks. _I just wiped out in a crash and here's this guy claiming to be an angel. I must be dying for this to happen,_ he thinks as everyone was clearing the way for the paramedics that just came onto the scene.

 _"_ That's good. The ambulance is here, and I will be right at your side the whole time." Andrew mentions as the paramedics rush over and start to work on Jonathan. By what they were saying, it wasn't looking good. There was a really good chance he would have to take this one Home. The tragedy was that it wouldn t have been his fault in the first place.

In the ambulance, Andrew could hear the teacher say something within the pain he was enduring. It was a name. _Shawn._ _Who was Shawn_? But before he could ask him, Jonathan passes out from the pain and medications given him.

At the hospital, the doctors almost lost him. But Jonathan hung on for dear life, he always was a fighter. Andrew waits at his side after the initial surgery. Waking up briefly, he sees the angel. "So, you're still here? Guess you are the real thing if it isn t the meds they gave me." he says, sounding groggy due to the medicines keeping the pain at bay. "Am I going to die?"

"Yes Jonathan, I am very real." The angel replies in a calm tone, "God sent me to be with you at this time. As for if you're going to die, only God knows that. I'm just here in case He decides to tell me. I am an Angel of Death, but when I show up, that's not always the case." Andrew answers his questions as honestly as he could.

He couldn t move very much with all the tubes and casts on him. "Hey Andrew," he asks, "If this is my time to go, could you get a message to Shawn? Tell him that I love him like a son. Remind him that he is one of the most talented people I had ever met. I don't ever want him to lose himself in despair or some cult. He's being lured into something dangerous with Mr. Mack and his Center."

"Who's Shawn? You were mentioning that name in the ambulance on the way here." Andrew asks, hoping to get more information. "He's a student of mine. He stayed with me for a while when his dad ran off. Shawn Hunter is his name. He needs guidance, he's truly special, but he's lost his way." It took all he had to keep awake. "I had been trying to find him at the Center when I had my little accident."

"I will, but for now you need some rest while the doctors check up on you. But I won't leave unless I m told to." Andrew promises the teacher as he waits. He sits in the cushioned chair beside the bed, when Jonathan mentions something.

"You know, I thought you would be more, I don't know, majestic for an angel. Wings and halo, flowing robes." Jonathan mentions, noting the angel's human like appearance outside the glow. He had never seen one before and just had to ask. The only times he had been in a church since graduating high school were for weddings and funerals.

"We only take this form so for the sake of your senses. Also to be more relatable to you. Our true form would be too much for you to imagine in the flesh, your senses would be overwhelmed by it. Now get some rest, you'll need it for what's ahead." Andrew tells him, then he gets an order to go out to the hallway. "I'll be right back." he tells Jonathan, leaving him alone.

Outside in the waiting room, Cory Matthews, his brother and parents, Mr. Feeny, Topanga and Shawn Hunter were having to put up with Mr. Mack from the Center where Shawn was staying at. The scrawny man in the turtleneck had brought Shawn over and they were not appreciative. From the start, they all had suspicions of Phillip Mack and his flock, Mr. Feeny especially.

Andrew had stepped out from Jonathan's room for a moment because the Father told him to and sees the group out there waiting, seemingly having an argument. He got a bad feeling from the slender man in his turtleneck and jacket. Like something evil was coming off of him.

Mr. Mack had accompanied Shawn to help him through this rough time. He could see the boy had a fondness for his teacher, but he had to keep control of him, hoping to sway him back to the Center. They had arrived at the hospital via a taxi.

When they arrived, the welcoming party he got was not one bit happy with his presence. The bane of his existence, George Feeny, was there. This man had tried to stop Phillip Mack on many occasions, but every time was shot down.

Alan, Cory's dad, was not buying any of the man's excuses and ended up slamming the leader against the wall. Andrew was not allowed to interfere with this, but still was confused to why he was watching this and not with Jonathan. He also recognized the man pinned to the wall.

He was not a good man at all. In fact, the Center he ran was a cover for something much worse. Kids come in, get seduced by Mr. Mack's pitch and then he takes advantage of them. Last week, the angel took Home one of the kids who escaped from there. His last words to him were of what the Center really was, a place of depravity. The drugs and brainwashing had become too much for the kid and he ended up killing himself in an alleyway on the other side of town.

Alan Matthews had the cult leader against the wall, taking all he had to keep from pounding this conman into the ground. It was only his wife reminding him of a possible lawsuit and jail that kept him from that step. He lets the man know he would kill someone like him to protect Shawn Hunter. Eventually, Alan let the man go at his wife's insistence.

Andrew saw the dark haired boy who accompanied Mr. Mack standing there, confused. _This must be Shawn, the one Jonathan was talking about._ He sensed a conflict in him and in a moment the boy slipped off while everyone else was busy. It was a few moments before they noticed his absence.

He follows the confused teen into a bathroom. Shawn was trying to get himself together. _Mr. Matthews was willing to do that for me? Why say it now and not before? What has the Center done for me? Sure Mr. Mack has been helpful, but something isn't right, it seems...fake, artificial. Maybe what Cory said earlier makes sense. I saw his reaction to everyone there. I just cannot put my finger on it for the life of me._

He looks into the mirror, his pale face showing a stress that made him look older than his actual age of sixteen. Andrew kept invisible, standing behind Shawn from about three, four feet. For some reason, the Father had him come in here and watch this boy, assuring the angel Jonathan was okay, at least for now.

The door opens and Cory comes in. Pausing for a moment, he could see his friend's inner turmoil etched on his face. "Shawn, I want you to come with me to Mr. Turner's room. You have to face this, Topanga's just outside." He tells Shawn, placing his hand on one shoulder. "I can't think straight Cory. I have you and those who say they love me and then there's the Center. Who can I trust?"

"You have to decide that for yourself. Come with me." Cory says, urging him to follow him. Reluctantly, the teen follows his friend out.

Once in the hospital room, Shawn draws a sharp breath as he sees his teacher, one-time guardian lying there, hovering between life and death. It was almost too much for him. Cory and Topanga come in right behind him, Andrew standing beside the bed unseen.

Shawn insists he needs Mr. Mack to help him through this, but the couple wouldn't stand down and let him out. "This is reality Shawn, he can't help you here. Look at Mr. Turner lying there." Topanga tells him, hoping he gets the message.

Then Cory embraces his friend. "THIS is a hug Shawn. I've seen the ones they give at the Center. Those are obviously fake, this is the real thing." They stay like that for a few moments before they break. The two kept their eyes locked on each other.

"We are leaving now, but you have to stay." Cory tells him as he extends his hand to Topanga, who is right at his side. They open the door and leave, surprised that Shawn didn't try and make a break for it right then. He just stood there, looking undecided.

Shawn was now all alone with Mr. Turner in the room, or so he thought. He was so confused about who was right, Mr. Mack and the Center, or those who claim to truly love him for who he was. Something Cory said earlier came to mind. In all their years as best friends, they had never really talked about if he believed if there was a God.

He knew the Matthews' went to church sometimes, but he was never really was interested in going with them. Shawn believed there was a God, but would He even spend time with someone screwed up as him? Maybe he was too much of a mess up for even a moment of His time.

"I'm here Jon, just me. No Mr. Mack, or Cory. Just the two of us." Shawn takes his free hand. "I don't know what to think anymore. Don't know who really cares for me, I don't think even God is listening." He looks up at the monitor, its steady beeping the only sound in the room.

"Shawn Patrick Hunter, don't be afraid, for God is listening." A voice fills the room and the boy sees just on the other side of the bed the angel. Dressed in his standard uniform for an Angel of Death and an unearthly glow. "And He loves you more than you can ever imagine."

Shawn suddenly felt like he was being drenched with something so pure, so pleasant while in the angel's presence. Every fiber of his being was invigorated and he was scared of that feeling. It was something he had never experienced before. "Who are you and why are you in here?" he asks.

"My name is Andrew and I was with Jonathan when he had the accident." He begins, "I am an Angel of Death. I take people to Judgement when their time comes. From there it's either Heaven or Hell."

Shawn really got hysterical at that last part, pacing the floor and breathing really quickly. Andrew manages to calm him down, getting him to slow his breath. "Is Jonathan going to die? If you're an Angel of Death, that must be the case. Why is God not fair, if He's so loving, why take him? It's NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR!" He takes a swing at Andrew, only to have his fist grabbed by the angel.

"Listen, when I show up, it does NOT always mean someone dies!" Andrew firmly tells the teenager, "Now sit down. We are going to have a talk." Looking at the stern expression on his face, Shawn decides to sit, though reluctantly. Andrew could see the distrust this kid had.

"Jonathan and I have had a nice talk about you. About your struggles with finding out who you are and your place in this crazy world. About your alcoholic father and how you stayed with him while Dad went looking for his wife." Andrew says, though he could see Shawn showing some resistance, "You don't have to say anything, just listen to me, okay?" A nod of the boy's head was at least a good sign.

"I know you care for Jonathan very much, he's told me." He takes a look at the man in the bed, his breathing steady for now. "God brought you two together because from the start, He knew you would need a father figure when your real one couldn't be there for you, so He gave you Jonathan. He actually refused to follow in his family s footsteps to follow God's calling for his life." Andrew pauses, a tear forming in his eye, he could see how much Shawn cared for the man and vice versa.

Shawn looks at the angel, wondering what to say. "And I saw what happened out there when your best friend's dad stood up for you. And Mr. Feeny too. Everyone out there in that waiting room was for you against that man." Andrew explains, still noticing the confused look on his face.

"Mr. Mack is not a bad man. He takes in lost souls seeking a place to belong and he found me." Shawn tries his hardest to convince the angel that, but could tell he wasn't having any of it. It was like he was reading his mind. Also, the words sounded hollow as he said them, expressing his doubts.

"That is what he wants you to think. Yes, there are people who genuinely do that, helping people. But there are those who use that as a cover for something...darker." Andrew had to be careful with his words here so as not to lose Shawn, "I can tell you first hand that Mr. Mack and his Center are NOT looking out for your best interests."

Andrew could see that internal struggle and tries to explain further. "I've seen people like him in action and it's not all it's cracked up to be. Now, the ones who stood up for you in that waiting room, they are the ones who love you. This man laying right here, he loves you like a son. In fact, if given a chance he would have taken you as his own."

The angel could finally see the tough shell around the boy start to crack, and resistance starting to drop. "Why do bad things happen to people and God allows it?" Shawn finally asks in a calmer voice filled with inquiry and concern.

"I don't know why bad things happen to good people," the angel tells him, "All of us are given free will, to follow God and His rules or not to. That's what makes Him a loving Father and not a slave master, free will. Every decision we make proves that. Yet, He still loves us, even someone like you, a self-proclaimed 'screw up'." He gives a slight smile to reassure the boy.

Andrew got a feeling this was decision time for Shawn. "How about you talk to Him, like I told you earlier, He's listening. Waiting for you to say something. It may help immensely. He made you and loves you more than you can ever imagine."

"God loves...me?" Shawn couldn't believe what he just heard, his voice cracking. The words sparked something inside him he never could explain before. Nobody had flat out said that to him as far as he could remember.

"What about Cory, his family, Topanga, and Mr. Turner? They love me too?" his voice sounding more like he was in awe than anything. "Yes, Shawn. That's why the Father brought them into your life. To show you a reflection of how much He loves you. Unconditional love." Andrew answers his question.

"They know Mr. Mack is nothing but an exploiter of lost souls. They saw him for who he really was. All that man cares about is himself and will do anything or use anyone to achieve his own selfish purposes. You now have to decide. Will you be the person God made you to be, or become a puppet who will trade their soul for a false sense of belonging and security at a price?" Andrew knew he asked the right question. He pauses, waiting for an answer.

Shawn had made up his mind then. The ball was in his court and it was down to the last two seconds of the game. "Okay, I'll give this prayer thing a try. You think He could send me a sign to let me know if He heard me Andrew?"

He nods his head. "I'm sure He will send you one. But you never know if you don't try." Shawn took that as a possible sign and knew Andrew was right. _I won't know if I don't try, Jonathan used to say that a lot._

"If you don't mind, I want to say something to Jon first." Shawn asks Andrew before going on, and the angel nods. He knew this was the start of something, he felt the boy growing confident. "Go ahead Shawn. It's your move."

He stands up and addresses Jonathan first. "Jon, what happened? How can you screw up on your bike? I have never seen you mess up on anything. Don't do this to me, don't die on me. I'm the screw up, remember?"

Shawn looks up at the monitor, it was still the same as before. He knew now the very real possibilty that his former guardian could take a turn for the worse at any moment. So time was of the utmost importance. Then he turns to the angel standing on the other side of the bed from him, then focuses on Jonathan lying there, broken and barely breathing.

"I know you're there, Jon, but at the same time it seems like you're not. I also know you can hear me, so let me talk while you listen." Shawn sits down at his bed, Andrew coming around, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"At the Center, I thought a lot about what you had taught me. About who truly loves me and who I am. You, Cory, my parents, the Matthews'. But you haven't taught me enough. I still have a lot to learn."

He glances over at the angel, who nods. "That's good. Keep going, just say what's on your heart." Andrew was starting to get a feeling this was not Jonathan's time to go. "Shawn, just let it all out. Don't be afraid."

With that little nudge of encouragement, Shawn goes on. "So don't blow me off Jon, don't blow me off God." He looks up to the air, his voice was loud and clear, saying this.

"I always believed You existed," Shawn admits, "I went to church as a kid but blew it off as I grew up." He was always praying for little, petty things like getting a girl's attention or not being late for class, things like that. Now, at this moment, all that was nothing when it came to someone he loves lying in a hospital bed, hovering between life and death. Andrew again gently encourages him to continue.

"I never wanted to come to You like this," he resumes, "and I never asked You for anything serious, but please, don't take Jon away from me. He's not done yelling at me yet." Shawn's voice became a plea of mercy to God on behalf of someone who loved him like a son.

"I can't hear You, but I know You're listening. An angel is standing right here and says You would take the time to listen to a screw up like me. So, if You don't mind, I talk and You listen. I don't want to be empty anymore." Shawn finally begins see how much he was loved.

Andrew begins to tear up a little watching the boy cry out to the Father. Then something happens. Shawn had taken Jonathan's free hand in his and after he finishes, he feels a little squeeze. It wasn't much, but for him, it was more than enough. The angel saw his eyes light up at the little miracle that just happened.

"Did you see that Andrew? He heard me. Jonathan and God both heard me!" Shawn squeals as it happens again. "Yes, God heard you and gave you a sign. Not all miracles are big and flashy. Often they are small, almost always passed over by the regular person. The smallest miracles are often the most encouraging ones."

"So, does this mean Jon's going to make it?" He asks the angel, "You're the Angel of Death, do you know?" Shawn had to be assured either way. Andrew smiles. "As a matter of fact I do. God has decided this is not his time to go. He has a plan for Jonathan just like He does you. That plan, I don't know, but God has a plan and a purpose for everyone, even for a screw up like you."

Shawn felt something at that moment he never got from the Center. The closest to this was with those who love him. It was like being belonged, mess ups and all. Being accepted for who he was unconditonally. He knew who was on his side, and they were right there all along.

His assignment now completed, Andrew had to start saying goodbye. "Shawn, I really do have to go. There's a patient who I do have to take Home. Don't worry, they're on the other end of the hall. He turns to leave, but not before Shawn gives him a big hug, his tears soaking through his shirt.

"Andrew, thanks for everything. Thank God He sent you. Will I ever see you again?" Shawn had never felt so clear headed in his life at that moment. "You never know." The angel could only give that answer.

Shawn watches as Andrew disappears through the doorway. He then tells Jonathan he would be back and leaves. _Thank You God, thank you for letting Jon stay here. I don't know how I can repay you for this. I can't wait to tell everyone._ "I'll be right back with Cory." He tells his mentor as he leaves. "He's got to hear this. They need to know the news."

He runs out to the waiting room where everyone was waiting. Mr. Mack was long gone by then. "He's going to make it." Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Then he grabs a suprised Cory and drags him back to the hospital room.

"Jon is going to be okay." he tells his friend, "I have it on the highest authority." His friend was a little confused. "Did the doctor tell you that? Turner is going to make it?" Seeing Shawn this excited scared him a little, the sudden change in moods.

"No," Shawn tells Cory, "God sent me an angel assuring me he was going to make it. I'm not going back to the Center. I now know who truly loves me. Remember when you said that in all our years as friends, we never really talked about God?" Then he begins to tell his best friend about his angelic encounter...


End file.
